Villagers reach 'forgotten Einstein' church goal in just four weeks

A tiny rural community has taken just four weeks to reach its £70,000 funding target to buy a church with links to the man described as "Scotland's forgotten Einstein".

Scientist James Clerk Maxwell - whose work paved the way for mobile phones, radio and television - is buried in the graveyard at Parton.

Villagers launched an appeal to raise £50,000 to buy the local kirk and another £20,000 to keep it wind and watertight.

Contributions have come in from around the world, helping them hit their target in half the time required to meet a 1 November deadline set by the current owners, the Church of Scotland.

Failure to reach the goal could have resulted in the property being placed on the open market.

Parton Community Council has led the campaign on behalf of the village.

"We are very grateful to everyone who has supported this campaign, both locally and internationally," said Paul Hodson, who chairs the group.

"Exceeding the initial £70,000 target within four weeks is an extraordinary result.

"It shows what a small community can achieve when people come together around a shared ambition."

They have now moved to establish an organisation - Maxwell at Parton Kirk - which can acquire and care for the church.

Once the purchase has been legally completed, the immediate priorities will be to insure and secure the building, protect it from further deterioration, and undertake the work required to help make it wind and watertight over the winter.

Alongside the acquisition process, work will begin on a business and development plan for the proposed science and community centre.

"This achievement is the beginning of the next phase rather than the end of the work," said the group's Dr Franziska Weir.

"We now have to complete the acquisition, protect the building, and develop a sound business plan with the community and our partners.

"We are looking forward to listening, learning, and turning the extraordinary goodwill behind the campaign into a sustainable future for Parton Kirk."

Clerk Maxwell was born in Edinburgh in 1831 but moved to Galloway as a child.

The concept of electromagnetic radiation originated with him and is credited as paving the way for Einstein's special theory of relativity.

He died in Cambridge in 1879 but was buried back in Parton.